By Sean Pitman
It’s not too often a former Williston High School
graduate is recognized on the national scene, so it’s
pretty special to have a Coyote inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Phil Jackson was inducted into the Hall on Friday and
will forever be remembered as one of the premiere
coaches in the sport.
Jackson has been on the national scene for some time,
winning championships with the New York Knicks,
Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers, but now he will be
immortalized alongside the greats of the game.
Early years
Jackson sets a pretty high water mark for future
Coyote graduates as he’s been about winning from his
early days on the hardwood.
Jackson was born Sept. 14, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Mont.
and spent most of his childhood in Montana, before
moving to Williston for his high school years, as his
parents pastored the Williston Assembly of God church.
Jackson, a lanky 6-foot-8 post, led the Coyotes to a
state basketball championship, scoring 35 points in
the title game in 1963.
He also was successful in baseball, football and track
at WHS and was involved in a number of other school
activities, including Playermaker’s, Coyote-On-The-Air
and Pep Club.
With the Sioux
Jackson stayed in North Dakota when he graduated,
playing at the University of North Dakota, which
seemed to be a hotbed of coaching at that time with
future NBA coach Bill Fitch coaching the Fighting
Sioux, while future NBA coach Jimmy Rodgers worked as
an assistant.
Fitch also had been a baseball scout and reports of
Jackson’s pitching had caught his eye.
Jackson helped the Sioux to third and fourth-place
finishes in NCAA Div. II Tournaments in 1965-1966. He
set a Div. II record with 22 field goals in an NCAA
tournament game and averaged 27.4 points as an
All-American his senior season in 1967.
He also played against Walt Frazier, who was drafted
in the first round of the NBA draft by the Knicks,
while Jackson joined the team being drafted in the
second round.
Knickerbocker
In 10 seasons as a player with the Knicks, Jackson won
two titles, one in 1970 and one in 1973, which was
against the Lakers, the team he is currently coaching.
Jackson was sidelined most of the season with a back
injury in the 1970 campaign, but that’s when he
started to develop a love of coaching, learning from
Knicks Hall-of-Fame coach Red Holzman.
Jackson then spent two seasons as a player-coach in
New Jersey, before taking off the uniform.
Jackson averaged 6.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.1 apg in 17.6
minutes per game during his 12 NBA seasons.
Coach Jackson
He traded his jersey for a suit and tie to go coach
the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball
Association, where he continued his winning ways
guiding the team to a title in 1984.
His success caught the eye of the Chicago Bulls, where
he joined the team as an assistant in 1987.
Bulls coach Doug Collins was fired in 1989, clearing
the way for Jackson, who burst onto the national
scene, coaching one of the NBA greats, Michael Jordan,
to three NBA titles.
Jordan retired to play baseball, but after an
unsuccessful stint with the Chicago White Sox,
returned late in the season as he and Jackson fell in
the Eastern Conference playoffs to the Shaquille
O’Neal-led Orlando Magic in 1995.
Jordan and Jackson teamed up to then win three
straight titles, giving Jackson six with the Bulls
before leaving the team in 1998.
In 1996, Jackson and Bulls set an NBA record with a
72-10 season and he was named the Coach of the Year.
Lakers legacy
Jackson took a year off before heading West to coach
the L.A. Lakers, which sported the game’s best center
in O’Neal and a young up-and-coming superstar in Kobe
Bryant.
Jackson was able to keep his two superstars from
feuding long enough to win three more titles, tying
him with Celtic great Red Auerbach for the most NBA
titles.
Jackson then left the Lakers to retire, but couldn’t
stay away and is now in his second stint in L.A., with
Bryant as his centerpiece in search of that elusive
10th title.
Jackson has made several trips back to Williston, and
his impact at WHS can still be felt with the high
school gym being named the Phil Jackson Field House.
Not too many will probably reach the heights Jackson
has achieved, but his story does shout that anyone,
even a small town high school graduate, can do
anything he or she might pursue.
More grads
Speaking of WHS graduates, there are a few in action
at college this fall.
Williston’s Tyler Jangula is playing a key role in the
North Dakota State University football team’s
offensive scheme as a starting fullback.
Jangula and the Bison had a successful opener against
Stephen F. Austin with a 28-17 win as Jangula opened
holes for tailback Tyler Roehl, who earned National
Offensive Player of the Week honors by rushing for 238
yards and three touchdowns.
Jangula is coming off a knee injury that cut short a
promising sophomore season.
The Bison host Sam Houston State at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Not too far away at the University of North Dakota,
the offensive line features former Coyotes Kyle Bondy
and Andy Hoffelt.
The Sioux also had a successful weekend, with a 37-10
win over Southern Utah to improve to 2-0 on the year.
Bondy, like Jangula, saw his season cut short by
injury last year, but looks to finish strong as the
starting right tackle in his senior campaign.
Bondy also plays right tackle and saw some time as a
freshman last year.
Also at UND?is an area standout in Stanley’s Kellen
Leupp, who is a sophomore wide receiver. He played in
one game as a freshman and looks to get in a few more
this season.
UND will host Central Washington at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Former Williston runner Katie Schauer is on the
Jamestown College cross country team, but the
sophomore is redshirting this year to recover from an
injury.
I know there are others out there from our area,
competing at the next level, but I need you to let me
know where they are and how they are doing.
Give me a call at the Herald, stop me in the street or
e-mail me and we’ll let the rest of the readers in on
the info.
Football contest
The first week of the Herald Football Contest came
down to a household shootout between Shae and Jim
Klug, who each checked in with just two wrong.
However, Shae got the Monday Night game right, while
Jim went with the Cardinals.
Thanks to the tie-breaker, Shae collects $25 in Herald
Bucks, which can be spent with the advertisers, and
$100 in Jack & Jewel’s Bar-B-Que.
Maybe Shae will share a little of his brisket with
Jim.
Also in the running were Darin Krueger, Amy Krueger,
Ryan Bendixson, Paul Suess, Sharon Njos and Josh
Barkie.
Keep those entries coming in for your chance to win.
Like the saying goes, “You can’t win if you don’t
enter.”
Good Luck!
Sean Pitman | sports@willistonherald.com
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